462 ORGANOLOGY. 



taining the activity of the embryo until the time comes for its development. 

 Their cells contain either less mucus but more starch, as in the leguminous 

 cotyledons, and in the albumen oftheCerealia; or they contain more mucus 

 and, instead of starch, a fat oil, as in the cotyledons of the CrucifercB and 

 in the albumen of some Palms and Euphorbiacece ; or lastly, they contain 

 scarcely any mucus, but their walls are strikingly thickened, and the 

 cellulose is found not to possess its usual physical condition, or is in some 

 way chemically distinct. It is more easily dissolved and decomposed than 

 usual. This is seen in some leguminous cotyledons, as, for example, in 

 the Tamarind, in the albumen of many Palms, as the Date-palm, and in 

 a most striking degree in the Ivory-nut (Phytelephas). From this it 

 results that we have six principal conditions, without mentioning the 

 intermediate states, which demand an accurate investigation. Hitherto no 

 microscopic and chemical history of germination has been given with any 

 accuracy or completeness ; we are still in the infancy of our knowledge 

 respecting it. For the most part, chemists understand nothing of micro- 

 scopic physiology, and botanists little of chemistry. Hence there has been 

 no harmonious pursuit of science between them, the absence of which has 

 retarded both, so that we neither possess, nor are on the eve of possessing, 

 a complete and fundamental knowledge of the history of germination. 



The reason of our ignorance on this subject arises" from the fact, that 

 in investigating it the chief attention has been turned upon that point 

 where the difficulty does not exist. The development of the young plant 

 will be explained when we shall have explained the life of the plant 

 in general. The principal difficulty that requires explanation is how the 

 conditions, which in an embryo result in a definite process, remain for a 

 long time suspended. If we place a ripe acorn in the soil, under all the 

 circumstances requisite to germination, why do not those chemical pro- 

 cesses which excite germination and development immediately take place ? 

 In this case chemical processes slowly go on in the interior of the cells, 

 with which we are as yet altogether unacquainted ; and perhaps, also, the 

 structure of the cells, or the chemical nature of their contents, is such as 

 to make the operation of external agencies only very slowly effective. 

 The Coffee-bean does not germinate at all, unless it is placed in the requi- 

 site circumstances immediately upon its ripening. Wheat has been 

 proved, by the experiments of Sternberg, to germinate after it had lain 

 inactive for three thousand years.* Many facts must be collected, and 

 the most minute chemical investigations must be made respecting the con- 

 tents of the cells and the cell-walls, the structure of the embryo must be 

 accurately examined, before we can obtain correct results : all else is but 

 theoretic dreaming. Only confusion or uncertainty can be expected 

 where so much, if not all, is yet to be investigated. 



Thus much, however, we have ascertained teleologically, namely, that 

 the cells of the embryo and the albumen are completely filled with as- 

 similated matters, in order to prevent, during the drying of the cells, their 

 crushing together, and thus to make their future active life possible. Of 

 these matters, a considerable portion is not only superfluous to the support 

 of the life of the embryo, but is actually in the way, and when germination 

 commences it is disposed of by being converted into carbonic acid and 

 water. To this atmospheric oxygen is essential, and also, as in every 

 other chemical process, a certain amount of heat and moisture, and these 



* He made wheat taken from the coffins of mummies to germinate, and the same has 

 been done in England. [The circumstances under which this has taken place, in Eng- 

 land at least, are not free from suspicion. TRAXS.] 



